Recipe
by tfloosh
Summary: Link decides to make Princess Zelda her favorite dessert to cheer her up after a harsh scolding from her father.


Link furrowed his brows, glad that no one could see with his head still tilted down respectfully. The King was being unjust in his harsh words to Princess Zelda. Could he not see that hard work that she put into everything she did? There were callouses on her knees from all the hours she spent praying. She had passed out in the waters of the sacred springs twice now and caught hypothermia when she refused to abandon her prayers until Link dragged her out. Princess Zelda was the most devoted servant of the Goddess, and yet the King sought to insult her.

Link stood once the King had left. He looked toward the Princess, wanting to reach out but knowing he couldn't within sight of the many eyes in the castle.

"I believe I will retire to my room for the night," Princess Zelda said in a shaky voice. "You are dismissed for the day, Link." He followed her into her room but hesitated by the door before leaving.

"I'm fine, Link," she smiled, but he could see the pain it masked. "Please, enjoy the rest of the afternoon off."

Link could do nothing but nod and close the door behind him.

But he didn't go home. He couldn't knowing Princess Zelda was sitting distraught in her room. He was her knight, and it was his job to look after her.

Link made his way down to the kitchens. He had a great relationship with the cooks there, and he was sure they would help him or at least point him in the right direction. He had never cooked something like this before, preferring to make simple, straightforward dishes for his own meals, but for the Princess, he would do anything.

"Ah, hello there, Link," one of the cooks smiled when he entered the kitchen. "A little early for dinner, don't 'cha think?"

Link shook his head and went to the shelf that held all the recipe books. He pulled down the book that held all the desserts usually made for special occasions and flipped to the page that held Princess Zelda's favorite food.

"You want to make fruitcake?" the cook asked. "Any particular reason why?"

Link frowned slightly, "She's upset today."

The cook's eyes twinkled knowingly, "And there's no better way to make her smile." He took the recipe book and handed it to one of the cooks-in-training. "We're out of wildberries, so you'll have to run out to the market and get some; you always seem to pick the best berries anyway. And while you're gone, I'll get Gerald here to start baking the cakes. Sound good?"

Link nodded, "Thank you." He grabbed some rupees from the kitchen's spare change drawer and ran into Castletown to grab some wildberries. He would have only the best for the Princess and so took twenty whole minutes at a Rito woman's stall picking out the biggest, ripest berries he could find. After handing over the proper payment, Link rushed back to castle to help Gerald make the cake.

"This is a very complex recipe," Gerald smiled as he cut the various fruits up for a compote. "It's a good thing I'm here to help you, otherwise you might have been stuck baking all night."

Link only smiled knowing Gerald would most likely tell the exaggerated story of the time he helped the Chosen Hero bake a cake for his lady love to anyone who could hear for the rest of his life. It didn't bother Link too much anymore; he had settled into this role of Champion with a blank face for a reason.

Link took the cakes out of the oven and cut them so they were flat. After a break for dinner, he started mixing the copious amounts of icing at Gerald's instruction and sneakily added extra sugar since he knew Princess Zelda liked it sweet. Gerald iced the bottom layer with icing and his wildberry-apple compote so that it made the iconic striped pattern when cut. Link was allowed to ice the rest of the cake while Gerald went behind him and added decorative plops of icing along the outer edge. Link finished up the cake with sliced oranges and apples, blueberries, and wildberries.

"I do believe we have made the best fruitcake this kitchen has ever seen," Gerald smiled triumphantly. Link nodded in agreement and carefully sliced two pieces to bring up to Princess Zelda's room. He arranged the fruits on top as artfully as he could and carefully made his way upstairs.

Link was nervous as he approached the Princess' room, but he reminded himself that this was Princess Zelda's favorite food on the planet, and he had to make her smile at least once after what happened earlier in the afternoon. Link knocked on the door with his foot as softly as he could.

"I requested not to be disturbed," the Princess' voice called from within.

"It's me," he called back through the door.

"Link?" her surprised voice echoed.

The door opened, and Princess Zelda appeared wrapped in a house robe with a confused look across her face. Link couldn't help but scan her face for signs of distress, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the redness of her nose and the puffiness around her eyes.

"Why are you here?" she asked. Her voice didn't sound shaky, so she mustn't have been crying recently at least. That made Link feel a little better. He raised his slices of fruitcake for the Princess to see, and her eyes instantly lit up.

"Did you make this for me?" she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

"I wanted you to be happy," he looked away from her as his face heated up.

"Oh, Link," Princess Zelda opened the door wider. "Please come in. We can enjoy this dessert together."

Link entered the room and made his way to the sitting area in front of the fireplace. He placed the two slices of fruitcake on the coffee table, and he and the Princess sat on the floor to enjoy their late-night dessert. Link let his stoic Champion mask fall as he sat alone with the Princess.

"So skipping past that," he crinkled his nose at the memory of the King and his harsh words. "It was amazing how the Sheikah scientist managed to get the Guardians the walk on command."

"It was amazing," Princess Zelda's smile widened as she took another bit of cake. She prattled on about the many steps and experiments it had taken to reach this monumental achievement. "Ganon will be no match for us, as long as," she paused, and Link knew what the end of that sentence was.

"You know," he said quickly to take her mind off the subject. "There's still an entire leftover fruitcake just sitting in the kitchen."

Princess Zelda's face perked up instantly, "Then what are we waiting for."


End file.
